Flowing Water
by Monochromatic Sakura
Summary: What do you do when you wake up in a time that has long since passed? Soma doesn't know, but he reckons he'll just go along with the flow. Time travel fic! No romance, just friendship and the barest hint of crushes. Drabble-ish(?) series. Cover image not mine.
1. why the fuck am i a kid!

**Disclaimers: I don't own Shokugeki no Soma; the honour belongs to Tsukada Yuuto-san.**

* * *

 **Prologue: why the fuck am i a kid?!**

* * *

Soma's first thought when he wakes up in a strangely familiar room is: _this isn't the dorm._ And he is right, he thinks, as he looks around, realizing why he thought it was so familiar: it's his old bedroom from before he set off for Tōōstuki.

But wait.

How did he even get here in the first place?

 _The tension is high and the audience is stunned, as the judges gobble up Yukihira Soma's dish as if it would be taken away from them if they didn't eat fast enough._

 _Dojima Gin speaks quickly, mouth full. "I can't get enough of it...! The Parmesan cheese's viscous body and the miso's light flavour entwine together with the rice!" He uses his chopsticks to pick up a small piece of dried fruit. "This red thing: is it perhaps-"_

 _Soma cuts him off, raising a finger, "Crispy plum." The stadium is once again filled with shouts._

 _"Whaaaat?!"_

 _"O...One more for the Snack Series (it's like the Kaki no Tane and the educational sweets...)?!"_

 _"It's just a bluff anyway! With just that..."_

 _Nakiri Leonora's lilting voice is easily heard above the disbelieving din, quickly going into a tangent of explanations. "This plum is another key point! The crispy, fun texture and appearance is vibrant!~ Even in regard to the taste..."_

 _After the judges eat their fill, the Director, who had already stripped, opens his mouth. "The judging is over! Now... We'll give the verdict!" Soma grins widely._

 _"It's done!"_

 _He walks back to his counter, but in his current mood, doesn't see the bits of sauce Ryo had accidentally spilt while preparing his dish. Akira and Ryo's eyes widen, and they open their mouths to warn him, but they can only watch as Soma slips on the sauce and hits his head against the metal counter, expression the epitome of surprise even as he slips into unconsciousness._

"But that still doesn't really explain why I'm here!" Soma nearly screeches. "Am I just hallucinating? Maybe I got a concussion?" He harshly pinches his arm, wincing. "Nope, hurts too much for it to be a hallucination." He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, "So I really somehow traveled back in time..."

A few seconds pass.

"...Ehhhh?! I _traveled back in time?!"_

* * *

 _"Ehhhh?! I..._ in time?!"

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Yukihira Jouichiro momentarily stops flipping pancakes to crane his neck upwards. "What's Soma-chan shouting about now? After a few seconds, he shrugs, going back to his flipping, "Well, whatever."

* * *

During that time, Soma keeps clutching his head, nursing the worst migraine in his life. _I've had many weird things happen to me, but this takes the cake! What does all of this mean, anyway?!_ His mind flashes back to the happy times he had had with all his friends. _Does that mean I might not be able to have fun with them anymore?_

"Soma-chan! Time for breakfast!"

"..." Soma lets go of his head, sighing. The whole 'time-travel' thing could wait. Leaping out of bed, he walks to his bedroom door, turns the knob to a new future...

And stops dead.

The small nine year old something boy with red hair and yellow eyes couldn't possibly be him, could it? Soma tilts his head, mutely watching as the boy in the mirror does the same. He jumps up and down. The boy does that too. Dread pooling in his stomach, Soma twists his body into one weird movement after the other, only to stop when the boy 'copied' all his moves perfectly.

His eye twitches.

 _Well shit._

* * *

 _"Hey, whatcha' do_ that _for?! Don't go dragging humans into different time periods!"_

 _"B-But I've got everything already mapped out! I haven't read a BL manga in soooo long!"_

 _"Hell no, those 'BL' novels of yours are disgusting! I'm not letting you put Yukihira in_ that _kind of situation!"_

 _"No!"_

 _"Yes!"_

 _"No!"_

 _"Yes!"_

 _"..."_

 _"..."_

 _"...Let's make a compromise."_

* * *

 **So, I'm thinking this might be the first Shokugeki no Soma time travel fic. If so, yay! If not, well then. But never mind about that, what do you think? Did I characterize Soma correctly? Did I spell his 'Old Man''s name right? Questions, comments, answers. They're all accepted!**


	2. on top of the world

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Soma; the honour belongs to Tsukada Yuuto-san.**

* * *

 **Chapter One: on top of the world**

* * *

After breakfast, Soma seats himself on the steps of their house, enthusiastically scribbling down improved recipes with a pencil. "Hmm, maybe if I add the risotto after that..."

"Whatcha' doing, Soma-chan?" Said boy's head almost hits the ceiling in his fright.

"Ahhh, Old Man! Don't scare me like that!" 'Old Man' chuckles, ruffling Soma's hair from behind, "I see, since I'm an 'Old Man' and you're clearly a Master Chef, I can't teach you any more new recipes, huh?"

Soma shakes his head so fast, His vision blurs. "No! You're the youngest and most handsome man ever!" Jouichiro just laughs at this, pushing his son towards the direction of the kitchen. "Yes yes, go on, brat. Get changed into your apron!" The cook chuckles again at the faint 'Yes Sir!' That floats back through the corridors, but he spots something from the corner of his eye.

"Hm?" He picks up the battered blue notebook, raising an eyebrow at the scrawl of 'Property of Yukihira Soma: DON'T TOUCH!' On the faded cover. Opening it, he flips through the pages, eyes widening with each word he reads.

 _This is...!_

* * *

Soma nearly gets a heart attack when he sees his Old Man walk into the kitchen holding his recipe book. _How on earth did I drop that?!_ He supposes, though, he was so elated to cook with Jouichiro that he simply forgot about it, as during his harsh education in Tōōstuki, he was extremely homesick, as international calls were expensive, therefore conversations with his father were few and far in between. He had really missed his home.

"Hey Old Man, where'd you get that? That's mine, you know!" Jouichiro grins roguishly and hands the blue notebook to his son. "Yeah, yeah. I found it on the steps." At Soma's slightly alarmed look, he adds, "I didn't read it, if you're worried about that." The nine year old sighs in relief, then perks up again, jumping childishly. "Come on, let's cook!" The cook chuckles softly as he follows the red head to the stove. "Alright, I'll teach you how to...flip pancakes!"

"Ehhhhh?!"

"Haha, just kidding, just kidding..."

"Don't kid about that kind of stuff!"

"Yeah yeah; now watch me..."

Soma never realized that his father's smiles were just the tiniest bit forced that day.

* * *

Jouichiro knows his son has changed. He sees that Soma's eyes have become a bit more older, his steps a bit more graceful, his movements a bit more focused; perfect for a chef.

And he isn't sure if he likes it or not.

Because he knows the world of cooking; knows its competitiveness, its prejudice, its harshness, and he doesn't want Kazuha's child to ever step foot in that world. Yet even so, he sees his son's blinding potential and talent and burning desire in the kitchen, and he knows he can't stop Soma from heading into the world he came from.

(And when he sees the pathetic money-grubbers hanging around his son to 'invest' in him, he wants to destroy something, because he won't _ever_ let Soma be used like that.)

So even though he wants to stop his son now, before he dives head-first into Tōōstuki (because some way or another, all great chefs arrive at Tōōstuki), all he wants is for Soma to be happy, and Soma is happiest in the kitchen, so when the time is right, he'll let him go.

He'll let him go.

So please, please let him cherish his precious child just a little bit longer.

* * *

Soma is sprawled on his bed, lazily jotting down his time line on a piece of paper. _If Tōōstuki's a hallucination, it's one hell of a hallucination..._ He stops writing for a moment, looking over his work.

 **Timeline**

 _1\. Clash with Minegasaki Yaeko -_ _Roast Pork, Just Kidding!_

 _2\. Sent to Tōōstuki - Yukihira (Restaurant) closed for three years  
_

 _3\. Fail and pass Erina's entrance exam - Transforming Furikake Gohan  
_

 _4\. Pair up with Megumi for Chapelle-sensei's assignment - Boeuf Bourguignon + honey  
_

 _5\. Pass Dorm Mother Daimido Fumio's entrance test - Mackerel Burger Meal (Improvised)!  
_

 _6\. Welcomed into Polar-Star Dorm - Meet strange people.  
_

 _7\. Battle against Isshiki-senpai, verdict: 'Draw' - Mackerel Onigiri Chazuke (Revamped)!_

 _8\. First Shokugeki: Battle against Nikumi, verdict: Win - Chaliapin Steak Don!_

"Whew, this is enough for now." Soma grins triumphantly, proud of himself.

"What is enough for now, Soma-chan?" 'Soma-chan' jumps again from fright, (manly) shrieking.

"Gahhh!" The culprit puts his thumbs up, flashing a white-toothed grin. "You sound like a girl, Soma-chan!" Heart still hammering furiously, Soma crosses his arms, scowling, and looks away, flushing red when Jouichiro snorts in his hand. "W-What do you want, Old Man?" The black haired chef seems to brighten at this, and as Soma gives his father a questioning look, he answers his question, grinning widely.

"We're going on a vacation!"

* * *

 _"A vacation? Really?"  
_

 _"It's a compromise! Besides, he'll meet the characters you love so much."_

 _"But really? A_ vacation _?"_

 _"S-Shut up! Not like_ you _could think of anything better!"_

* * *

 **This chapter is longer than the first, since this will be mostly centered around the vacation and Soma's time at Tōōstuki, and it won't do if I spend three or four chapters on the prologue. You like? :) Also, in case you haven't noticed, I just recently put up a poll on my profile. IF you don't want to vote there...**

 **Q: Who do you want Soma to meet during the vacation?**

 **Hayama Akira**

 **Nakiri Erina**

 **Nakiri Alice**

 **Kurokoba Ryo**

 **Tadokoro Megumi**

 **Aldini Takumi**

 **Aldini Isami**

 **Mito Ikumi**

 **-Maximum choices: 4-**

 **Questions, comments, answers. They're all accepted any time of the day!**


	3. Friend

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Soma, the honour belongs to Tsukada Yuuto-san.**

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Friend**

* * *

Akira doesn't know why he is so fixated on the red-haired boy he saw once at the local market.

It could have been the way he talked, the way he laughed, the way he animatedly gestured with his hands, or just the simple way the corners of his lips curved upwards when he toured the streets.

But the thing Akira likes best about the boy is his smile.

The red-haired boy seemed to smile like the sun: bright and radiant, and Akira finds that he likes it a lot.

And on the worst of days, when the rain falls in such thick sheets that he can't even see his hand in front of his own face, Akira wonders if the boy would one day bother to talk to him: a no-name orphan from a no-name town.

 _He probably wouldn't._

Akira still holds on to that hope, anyway.

…Funny, he thought he'd gotten rid of that useless emotion years ago.

* * *

"That guy is selling you the weaker brand, you know."

As said 'guy' immediately splutters, Soma looks up from a selection of herbs to face a white-haired boy.

Hayato Akira.

"Yeah, I knew that!" he says, grinning cheerily at his once (or future?) rival, trying not to scream, because _no child should have those eyes._

(He had never asked Akira about his life before Tōōstuki, but was it really this bad?)

The storeowner is shouting at Akira now, backhanding him and screaming hurtful things like _homeless_ and _orphan_ and _abandoned_ , and Soma wants to just run away, because why did people have to be so cruel?

"Stop!" he screeches instead (he mentally winces: he hopes puberty would come soon), stomping over and pushing himself between the shopkeeper and a shocked Akira, arms wide. "Leave him alone!"

"Child!" the old woman stammers, as if Soma had committed a sin, "Don't you know who he is? That good-for-nothin – "

"He's my friend!" Soma blurts out, to the shock of the woman and himself, "He's my friend, so leave him alone!"

With this, he drags Akira away in a random direction, ignoring the old woman ( _hag_ , Soma vindictively thinks)'s calls behind.

When he reaches a mostly empty area, and he slows down, aimlessly walking, Akira speaks, voice soft and hoarse, and Soma only catches the end of it.

"Sorry, what was that?"

A long silence follows, and Soma is afraid that he has inadvertently killed the conversation, but then…

"I said, why did you help me?"

Soma stops and turns to face Akira.

"Do you need a reason to help someone?" he asks curiously. Everything he had done in both his lives were based on instinct, on what he believed was and still is right or wrong, and he wants to hear an outsider's opinion.

"Bullshit," Akira snarls, suddenly hostile, and he wrenches his hand out of Soma's, "everyone does something because it helps them somehow. What do you want from me?"

At this, Soma's brow furrows. "But – "

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Akira screams, voice desperate, like he needed a reason to ground him. Soma stares sadly at him.

"I want to be your friend." He says.

"…What?"

"I want to be your friend." This time, Soma's voice is firmer, as Akira's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.

"…No one's ever wanted to be my friend before," he whispers brokenly. He looks around. "Is this a dream?"

"No." Soma says. _How could a ten-year old think this way?_ "No, it's not." He takes Akira's larger hand, putting it against his own. "Feel the heat?" Seeing a faint nod, he smiles.

"How is it a dream if you can feel it?"

Akira shakes his head.

"There's still the possibility," he argues softly, but he has already lost the battle, and Soma knows that. He smirks.

"Sure," he teases, as he grabs Akira by the hand again, the tension in the air quickly dissipating.

"Come on, there's someone you've got to meet!"

* * *

"I give up," Soma's Old Man says as he drags a reluctant Akira to their hotel room. "Why do you keep befriending strays, Soma-chan?"

"So can he stay?" Soma pleads, ignoring his previous statement.

"Do as you want," his Old Man grunts, flopping face-down onto the bed.

Soma cheers.

* * *

Years later, Akira would look back at this scene, and wonder what exactly would have happened to him if he didn't approach Soma that day. He'd probably be a lot colder, he thinks, lying on his bed.

He turns his head to face Soma, who currently was fast asleep, soft snores emanating from him.

Akira smiles fondly.

 _I suppose I owe it all to him._

* * *

 _"So? Now are you satisfied?"_

 _"I suppose..."_

 _"Great, now let's go."_

 _"Eh? Why?"_

 _"Idiot. Don't you know Destiny called for you an hour ago? You have to meet with her in...huh. You've got ten minutes left."_

 _"What! Stupid Fate! How am I supposed to do my makeup and things in just ten minutes?"_

 _"Well, you just have to do it somehow. Eight minutes left, by the way."_

 _"Arghhh!"_

* * *

 **Huh, this sure did turn out differently then I expected…**

 **On another note, the poll has closed, with Erina and Akira in the lead. Quite popular, aren't they. :)**


End file.
